McNeely Photo Gallery
Stanley Blake McNeely (1896-1982), a native of Natchez, Mississippi, came to Mobile after World War I and worked for the M&O Railroad and then the Crawford Advertising Agency. In 1931 he became president of Gulf States Engraving Company and also began his career as a free-lance photographer. Using a variety of cameras – Speed Graphic, Leica, and Roliflex – McNeely photographed weddings, Mardi Gras parades and balls, sports events, and school activities. During World War II he photographed all of the ship launched for the U.S. Government at Gulf Shipbuilding in Chickasaw, Alabama. McNeely’s work appeared in numerous magazines, including Life, Vogue, Fortune, and Time. In 1946 he published a photo essay entitled Bits of Charm in Old Mobile.